The present invention generally relates to data backup.
Backing up data to prevent data loss in the event of disaster is a normal industry practice. Many software and hardware solutions exist on the market that implement data backup and maintain backup copies. Such solutions are utilized so that, if original data is lost, it can be restored from a relevant backup copy.
There are many techniques and approaches to backing up data. In most cases, a backup copy is created as a result of a backup process. The copy must be stored, and, most often, synchronized with the original data. In the simplest scenario, a backup copy is stored in the same place where the original data is stored (locally). Local backup has certain disadvantages. One significant drawback is that in the event of a major disaster, local backup will likely be lost along with the original data. For the purpose of keeping data more protected against unexpected conditions, many enterprises prefer to store backup copies at a remote location, such as a disaster recovery site or in a cloud.
In certain scenarios, it is reasonable to have both a local backup copy and a remote backup copy, with local backup being utilized for quick operational restore, and remote backup being utilized for restore in case of a major disaster. Additionally or alternatively, remote backup can be used for long-term archiving to store backup data for a number of years back in time.
Although it is sometimes desired to have multiple backup copies, it is not always efficient or effective to create two backup copies if creation of each of the copies involves reading the original data. One reason is that reading the original data multiple times produces additional resource consumption in the infrastructure where the data is stored. Another reason is that if the original data is continuously changing, two backup copies of the same data that are made in different points in time may appear to be different.
A need exists for improvement in data backup. This need and other needs are addressed by one or more aspects of the present invention.